COVID-19 and ophthalmology: An underappreciated occupational hazard

Khatri, Anadi; Kharel, Muna; Chaurasiya, Babu Dhanendra; Ashma, K C; Khatri, Bal Kumar

doi:10.1017/ice.2020.344

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…29 One of the reported limitations of PPE in our study was increased examination time (78% of the participants). This could be explained by the time spent on donning and doffing, PPE fitting, reported difficulties in communication with the patients, 17 and impaired visualization due to fogging. Owing to these challenges with PPE use, 40% of our participants reported that they stopped the use of one or more of the PPE, with face shields being the most intolerable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Difficulties and challenges associated with PPE use among healthcare providers were previously reported, including -but not limited to- early fatigue, thermal discomfort, ill-fitted PPE, lack of proper training on fitting them, and uncertainty of the effectiveness of the used PPE. 14 – 18 In a recent survey that was performed on 24 ophthalmologists, all practicing in Nepal, participants reported problems related to discomfort and difficulty in performing regular examination with the use of PPE. 17 However, to the authors’ knowledge, the suitability and convenience of the commercially available PPE to the ophthalmic practice as well as the clarity of visualization of various ophthalmic procedures while using PPE, were not explored on a large scale before.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 14 – 18 In a recent survey that was performed on 24 ophthalmologists, all practicing in Nepal, participants reported problems related to discomfort and difficulty in performing regular examination with the use of PPE. 17 However, to the authors’ knowledge, the suitability and convenience of the commercially available PPE to the ophthalmic practice as well as the clarity of visualization of various ophthalmic procedures while using PPE, were not explored on a large scale before. This study is the first multi-center international study to highlight the detailed challenges of using PPE in ophthalmology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Challenges of personal protective equipment use among ophthalmologists during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter international study

Ashour

Elkitkat

Gabr

et al. 2021

European Journal of Ophthalmology

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Purpose: To explore the possible challenges and difficulties of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in ophthalmic practice during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This is a multicenter, international survey among practicing ophthalmologists across different countries. The survey was conducted from September 9th to October 24th, 2020. It included a total of 23 questions that navigated through the currently adopted recommendations in different clinical situations. The survey also assessed the convenience of using various PPE in ophthalmic practice and addressed the clarity of the examination field while using various PPE during clinical or surgical procedures. Results: One hundred and seventy-two ophthalmologists completed the survey (101 from Egypt, 50 from the USA, and 21 from four other countries). The analysis of the responses showed that most ophthalmologists use face masks without significant problems during their examinations, while face shields followed by protective goggles were the most inconvenient PPE in the current ophthalmic practice. Moreover, most of the participants (133, 77.3%) noticed an increase in their examination time when using PPE. Furthermore, a considerable percentage of the respondents (70, 40.7%) stopped using one or more of the PPE due to inconvenience or discomfort. Conclusions: Due to the unique nature of the ophthalmic examination, certain PPE are not ophthalmologist-friendly. Innovative PPE should be tailored for prompt, more convenient, and clearer ophthalmological practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Challenges of personal protective equipment use among ophthalmologists during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter international study

Ashour

Elkitkat

Gabr

et al. 2021

European Journal of Ophthalmology

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“…15 Thus, the best option, for now, is the adoption and improvisation of the precaution measures to break the chain of the spread of theSARS-CoV-2 virus and infection in the community and ophthalmic practices. 46 Some of the effective measures are shown in Figure 6.…”

Section: The Outcome Of Pcr Assay In Ocular Specimenmentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>Unfolding COVID-19: Lessons-in-Learning in Ophthalmology</p>

Sitaula¹,

Khatri²,

Janani³

et al. 2020

OPTH

Self Cite

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Importance: An observant Chinese doctor Li Wenliang became the first physician to alert the world about COVID-19. Being an ophthalmologist himself, he has put the additional onus on us. The fact that the ocular manifestation could be the first presenting feature of novel coronavirus pneumonia should not be ignored and the possibility of spread of SARS-CoV-2 through the ocular secretions cannot be ruled out. However, with breakthroughs still evolving about this disease, the calls are now louder for closer examination on the pathogenesis of conjunctivitis associated with it. Hence, we conducted a scoping review of all available literature till date to fill in the "potential" gaps in currently available knowledge on ocular manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in an attempt to establish continuity in the "chain of information" from December 2019 till April 2020. We also summarize a possible hypothesis on much less understood and highly debated topics on regard to the etiopathogenesis of ocular involvement in SARS-CoV-2 based on either presence or absence of ACE2 receptor in the ocular surface. Methods: We conducted a scoping review search of published and unpublished SARS-CoV-2-related English language articles from December 2019 till mid of April 2020 from the online databases. The findings were summarized using text, tables, diagrams, and flowcharts. Results: The commonest ocular manifestation in SARS-CoV-2 infection is follicular conjunctivitis and has been the first manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in 3 reported cases till date. The ocular surface inoculated with the SARS-CoV-2 leads to the facilitation of the virus to the respiratory system via the lacrimal passage. RT-PCR analysis of the ocular secretions has shown the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleotides indicating the possibility of infection of ocular secretions. ACE2 receptors and its expression on the ocular mucosal surface are linked behind the etiopathogenesis of conjunctivitis. Conclusion: Conjunctivitis can be the presenting manifestation but may go unnoticed due to its mild nature. The ocular surface could serve as the entry gateway for the virus and ocular secretions could play a role in virus shed. The eye care personnel, as well as the general people, need to be more vigilant and adopt protective eye measures.

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“…Proper PPE should be practiced as per the requirement to prevent viral transmission of COVID 19 between patient and hospital staffs. (Sadhu et al, 2020;Khatri et al, 2020) At the same time overuse of PPE should be discouraged so that it can be available for the needy.…”

Section: Ppe Uses and Its Practicementioning

confidence: 99%